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(Nb Model.) I Q L. W. BEARD & W. O. WESTAWAY.

FRAME TOWER. Patented Mar. 22, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS WV. BEARD AND WALTER C. WESTAIVAY, OF DEOORAH, IOWA, ASSIGNORS TO THE DECORAI-I WINDMILL COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FRAME TOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 471,373, dated March 22, 1892.

Application filed October 21, 1891. Serial No. 409,450. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LEWIS W. BEARD and WALTER O. WEsTAWAY, citizens of the United States of America,residing at Decorah, in the county of Winneshiek and State of Iowa, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Construction of Frame Towers, of which the following is a specification.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like letters indicate like parts, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the lower portion of a tower, showing our improved staple-fastening attached thereto; and Fig. 2, a detail vertical section of one of thestaples.

In frame structures generally, whether metallic or otherwise, intended for windmilltowers, electric-light towers, and similar buildings composed of vertical or nearly Vertical pipes, bars, or timbers joined together and connected by transverse horizontal beams and diagonal brace-bars, various devices are employed to tighten and put a proper strain on said brace-bars. To supply a more simple, durable, eflicient, and economical tightening device than is now used is the object of our invention.

In the drawings, A represents a stapleshaped iron, on the ends of which are cut threads. To the threaded ends are fitted nuts B B. On the ends of the brace-bars O are formed eyes or openings 0, through which the threaded ends of the staple A may pass. In the vertical sections, bars or timbers D, and in the same vertical plane are made holes or apertures d d, through which the ends of the staple A may also be passed,when by the aid of the nuts B B the loop of said staple may be made to assume a position varying in distance from the vertical section D. Y

The mode of operation is as follows: In raising the said structure or the first section of the same the feet or lower ends of the first set of brace-bars O O are made secure to the vertical sections in any suitable manner. Through the eyes in the upper ends of such brace-bars as are to be fastened at one and the same point is passed one of the projecting arms or ends of the staple A, While the other end or arm of said staple is passed through the lower ends or feet of such bracebars of the next section above as are to be fastened at the same point. The ends of the staple are then passed through the apertures d d and the nuts B B fixed thereon. This fastening is employed at the ends of all the brace-bars, except at the lower end of the lower section and the upper end of the upper section, and may be employed in those places if preferred. When all brace-bars are secured, as above shown, by the proper adj usting of the nuts B B, the several brace-bars may be tightened and strained to the desired extent. The apertures dd being in the same vertical plane, all strain in one direction upon the staple A is counteracted by the strain of the opposite brace-bars upon the staple.

Having thus described our invention,what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

' In a frame tower, the combination of the Vertical bars D, the staple A, threaded at its ends, the threaded nuts B B, adapted to fit thereon, and the brace-bars O 0, connected to the said staple at its opposite corners, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

LEWIS W. BEARD. \VALTER O. \VESTAWAY. Witnesses:

' E. A. SHERBURNE,

J. W. HILL. 

